Web Designer Or Web Developer: Who Do I Choose?

For anyone who has access to the internet, I am almost sure that they have come across these two terms, web designer and web developer. To anyone, these two terms sound just the same and they interchange one with the other. I mean, as long as you find someone to help get your website operating.

Hold on for a second! I will differentiate the two words for you so clearly till you will start wondering which other terms you use in the wrong way.

Why projects fail

The IT industry is very wide and involves a range of activities. Look around and you will find a web developer trying to perform the work of a web designer and vice versa.

This is the major reason why some people’s effort at getting their website running fails. It is because they did not take their time to figure out exactly what they needed from their website, thus hire the right people for the job.

Read further and find out what will help you differentiate between the two, the roles and functions of each and hopefully by the end of it all, help you decide which one you need for your website needs.

Who is a Web designer?

To put it simply, they are innovative people who have the ability to visualize what you need with your website just by having a chat with you. They then bring it to life by coming up with a very beautifully done website whose features are very pleasing to the eye.

There are web designers who hone their skills further by learning how to use features such as Dream Weaver and Photoshop which helps them come up with even more innovative websites. They can therefore be simply referred to as innovative professionals.

Who is a Web developer?

They, on the other hand, lean more on the technical side of things. They have the talent and unique ability to solve problems and have great arithmetic skills. They are always coming up with various codes in a variety of languages using features such as JavaScript and HTML. In addition, they commonly visit sites such as Fire bug to create plugins or even text editor and JavaScript. One more thing is they always know about an API and creating it.

There are people who call them programmers, but this is not entirely right because their tasks are more advanced than what is involved in programming and creating software. This is not to say that they don’t have these skills, but they are more of technical professionals.

Time to make a choice

After the above differentiation, you will have to figure out which one you need for your website. Although in some cases, you might need both. In case you need your website to be more popping and attractive, then you need the services of someone with innovative skills. On the other hand, if you need some databank or have issues to do with applications, then you need the services of someone with technical skills.